The present invention relates to an open-face fishing reel of the fixed-spool type.
Prior-art fishing reels of this type (see e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,094) have a spindle which is rotatably and axially displaceably mounted in a housing and which at one end supports a line spool. The line spool is non-rotatably connected to the spindle and axially fixed thereto. A drive shaft extending perpendicularly to the spindle is mounted in the housing to be rotated by means of a handle. A pinion gear is non-rotatably arranged on the drive shaft and meshes with an oscillating gear wheel which is mounted in the housing. The oscillating gear wheel comprises an eccentric pin engaging with a driving element which is axially fixed to the spindle.
When the handle is rotated for retrieving a fishing line attached to the line spool, the drive shaft and, thus, the pinion gear rotate. The pinion gear drives the oscillating gear wheel whose eccentric pin moves the driving element back and forth in the longitudinal direction of the spindle. The driving element then oscillates the spindle and, thus, the line spool in the longitudinal direction of the spindle. The handle drives, via a gear transmission arranged in the housing, a hollow shaft which projects from the housing and which is coaxial with the spindle and through which the spindle extends. The hollow shaft then drives a rotor non-rotatably mounted thereon and supporting a bail for winding the line on the line spool.
During retrieving, the line is thus wound on the line spool which, in contrast to the rotor, does not rotate but performs an axially directed oscillating motion. As a result, the line is evenly spread over the line spool. In the construction described above, such even spreading of the line can, however, be provided only if the line spool has a relatively small width (axial extent). This is due to the line spool performing an oscillating motion, whose speed is at its maximum around the center of oscillation and decreases in the direction of the turning points of the oscillation. In practice, this difference is, however, not important when the line spool is of normal width. In some applications, it is, however, desirable to use wider line spools, which can be made shallower than line spools of smaller width and still receive the same amount of fishing line, implying that the line spool side plates can be made lower so as to not risk braking of the fishing line at the end of a long cast.